I have read through the forums about all of the different intakes and have walked away a bit confused. I am going to purchase an IS 350 within the next two weeks and then put a new intake and exhaust system on it. So my question is this:

Is the Joe Z intake the best intake with the most gains in horsepower or is an intake from someone like K&N, LMS or Fujitsu the way to go? It seems to me that the heat shield on the K&N would block some of the hot air from the block.

Also I have read quite a few posts about the exhaust systems. I think the Tanabe (sp) may be the best sounding system but does it give you a hp increase?!? Also has anyone installed this system by simply jacking the car up and putting it on “stands” or is a lift required. It does not seem as if the kit requires any welding but please let me know.

I want to do what is best for the car in an overall standpoint. The sound of the car is secondary to the performance. I want it still to have some “luxury” left to it when I am done but a very loud car (in general not under throttle) would defeat this purpose.

I had 1 525 hp 73 Torino with a NOS system on it when I was younger and it was so loud you could not talk in the car (but is was soooo fast).

Please give me factual answers if you could and not subjective opinions. With so many different dynos on the site I am getting lost in the “tech”.

Thanks in advance!

 

Not sure if this makes a difference in your decision but...

First and foremost, a Lexus can be VERY expensive to repair if your warranty is voided or over. Lexus is NOT shy about charging. Having said that, you might want to check if these mods void your warranty, (they will look for any excuse to do this).

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

Agree. They're bad enough about fixing things under warranty when you haven't modified your car in any way...

 

I would wait for the intake 'shootout' results (dyno runs being done by another forum.)

Some axle backs (like the tanabe) will give you slight HP gains. However, as with all aftermarket exhausts, there is always the question of whether you're losing torque down low in the rpm range because of the reduced backpressure (which may allow for the few aforementioned ponies in the upper RPM range.)

I will do an exhaust for either sound and/or weight savings. That's it. I'm waiting for a single lightweight exhaust (hopefully in titanium) that's just slightly louder than the stock muffler.